Cultures of the Abdomen: Dietetics, Digestion and Obesity in the Modern World.

Gonna have to start doing Abstract of the Week again. Oh, and here's her university page. Bolt had to caution his readers not to be abusive about her appearance. Eh. I've seen women like that at every protest and Chutchathon I've been to, and frankly, she's better-looking than most. Reminds me a little of Ronald Colman.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Up this morning about six (couldn't sleep--clown dreams), went downstairs to get some oj, and there was a dead mouse floating in the dogs' water dish in the kitchen. I fished it out with a plastic bag.

Yerg.

Speaking of Earth Hour, as far as I could tell using the Denver Post's world-class search function, they didn't mention it. Not once, before or after. Not even simpering, preening, uber-lib columnist Susan Greene, who a couple of years ago was farting with delight over children harrassing people to turn off their lights. Progress.

Could link to all the blogs having fun with Erf Day, but you know them as well as I do. Oh, here's the WWF's suggested Climate Curriculum for Teachers. Explore at your own risk.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

David Lane, a Denver attorney who has tackled some of the most high-profile cases in Colorado, is now working with a Boulder man who was arrested during a recent City Council meeting.

Lane said he is working with Seth Seth Brigham, a local activist who was arrested Feb. 16 after stripping to his underwear and launching into a biting criticism of two council members during public comment time.

Seth Seth? Lane goes from strength to strength.

“We're looking at Seth Brigham's case and we're thinking about whether or not we should file a lawsuit,” Lane said.

Lane, who has represented former University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill and Richard Heene, the Fort Collins father of “Balloon Boy,” said Brigham might have a case against the city.

“It appears to be a First Amendment violation, but we're not filing a lawsuit at this moment," he said.

Brigham was arrested after he refused the orders of a Boulder police officer — who acted at the direction of a councilman — to leave the speaking area before his two minutes were up.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

They all mean global warming, of course. But what have you seen with your own eyes?

Me first (that's why I have a star in front of my handle in comments). I'll leave out the weird weather on various backpacking/river trips, and stuff I saw after the fact.

1. The D-a-W and me, walking the dog (only one at the time, now long dead) toward Sloan Lake, when we heard this roaring sound. We looked up the street, and there was a solid curtain of hail coming toward us. It was totally opaque, very loud, and advancing at about a block every few seconds. We hugged a tree, but D-a-W still got nailed big time by a couple hunks of golf-ball-size ice ripping through the branches and leaves. An old lady across the street was standing on her porch, gesturing for us to come over to safety. No way, but nice of her.

2. Standing on the south steps of the Capitol building. One big-ass tornado visible less than a mile to the east, another one to the west. They both did big damage, but the only death, IIRC, was a firefighter who fell through a roof.

Anthro global warming sceptics Steven Goddard and Anthony Watts of Watts Up With That compare two Colorado cities on their Urban Heat Island differences:

Fort Collins, Colorado is most famous for Balloon Boy, and Boulder, Colorado is most famous for Jon Benet and Ward Churchill.

Both are hotbeds of Climate Science, with familiar names like Roger Pielke (Jr. and Sr.) Walt Meier, William Gray, Kevin Trenberth and Mark Sereeze. Both are of similar size (Boulder 91,000 and Fort Collins 130,000) and located in very similar geographical environments along the Front Range – about 50 miles apart. The big difference is that Fort Collins has tripled in size over the last 40 years, and Boulder has grown much more slowly. Fort Collins population is shown in blue and Boulder in red below.

You can guess the difference in UHI effects, but read the whole thing. Location of temp stations plays a role, natch.

Update: And by the way, if you're not already haunting WUWT, start doing so at once. It's the premier example right now of what blogs can do to right the balance between "consensus" (as voiced by the powers-that-want-to-be) and the truth.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

There's a commercial running on radio for the dating site It's Just Lunch in which the announcer quotes Tennyson's line that "In the spring, a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of lurve." Only problem is, the guy calls him (and I've heard it at least four times, so I'm not mishearing) "Alfred Lloyd Tennyson."

Update: They've added a little teaser that you can get $200 off in joining IJL for doing something or other. Two hundred off? That means it's free, right? I mean, what do these dating services cost, anyway? No, I'm not gonna look.

Sunday, March 07, 2010

A weird, poorly written article in The Student Life, apparently a periodical of some sort published by Pomona (CA) College or Claremont College(s) or something on the Wart case. Start of the second graf:

On Apr. 2, the Denver State Court ruled that the university had fired former Ethnic Studies Professor Ward Churchill for political reasons. . . .

Er, no. But I did like this, a little further down:

Claremont McKenna College government professor John Pitney said that this case highlights important issues for faculty and administrators at the 5Cs [I assume "5Cs" refers to various Claremont colleges].

“There is a lesson for administrators and a lesson for faculty,” said Pitney. “For administrators: in any kind of disciplinary action, observe due process. For faculty members: in your research, don’t make stuff up.”

Words of wisdom. More:

Brian Burkhart, a Pitzer College Native American studies professor who was not rehired, compared Pitzer’s decision to not rehire him and CU’s decision to fire Churchill. Burkhart was denied the position of comparative or non-western philosophy [huh?] after a national search. Burkhart said that there are connections between his case and Churchill’s.

“When Native American academics attempt to do research that really reflects Native American worldviews, these academics are seen as trouble-makers, activists, and/or just bad scholars,” said Burkhart.

Churchill hits the trifecta there! Last couple:

Pitney thinks that Churchill should not return to his post at CU.

“A judge is going to decide whether he should either receive reinstatement or back pay,” said Pitney. “I’m not a lawyer, so I cannot offer a judgment on what Colorado law requires. I do think, however, that his blatant academic dishonesty renders him unfit for any faculty position.”

Good for you, Pits, but you forgot the third option: Chutch gets nothing: no job, no money.

Update: And the assertion that that fat fake reflects "American Indian worldviews"--well, I won't elaborate; I've got a sub sandwich to love.

Saturday, March 06, 2010

Update: You know what's embarrassing? Expressing concern for someone you think might be floating upside down, bumping gently, head first, against a street drain, and this person doesn't even read your blog enough to tell you she's not floating upside down, bumping gently, head first, against a street drain.

Update: Caz (finally) responds in comments. She's fine, besides the zombie thing, and has a good blow-by-blow of the storm.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Over at "the girls'" place today, taking care of shit that anyone owning a 100-year-old house will be familiar with. Both girls are college students. One is pre-med, the other studying radiology or something.

Looking for panties to sniff (kidding!, tho not according to Ward Churchill), I noticed one thing: besides textbooks, there are no books in their place. No books. None.

Not even Stephen King. Scares me a little.

Update: By the way, is there anything more boring than a 20-year-old girl (or boy, for that matter)?

Update II: Okay, one more whine: when I opened the front door to the girls' place there was a sound like this: Screeeeeeeee! I asked the girlie in residence: Doesn't that drive you crazy?

She said yeah. But it was like, I'm helpless. I got the can of WD-40 out and took care of it. Learned helplessness: is there anything it can't not do?